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URC stumble may cost SA trio dearly as playoffs loom for big guns

URC stumble may cost SA trio dearly as playoffs loom for big guns
Lions flank Emmanuel Tshituka scores during the United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster at Ellis Park on 20 April. (Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
Jon Cardinelli
By Jon Cardinelli
23 Apr 2024
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The Stormers have effectively blown a home quarterfinal place while the Bulls are also in a precarious position.

South African rugby couldn’t have asked for a worse outcome in the 14th round of the United Rugby Championship.

The Sharks, Bulls and Stormers went down, while the results in Pretoria and Cape Town relegated the Lions to 11th place in the standings, in spite of the Joburg-based side’s remarkable 44-12 victory against Leinster.

The Bulls and Stormers may come to regret their respective losses to Munster and the Ospreys.

Sharks best bet for silverware


Even if the Bulls win their remaining four matches, they may find themselves travelling abroad in the URC semifinals – possibly to Dublin to face a full-strength Leinster.

The Stormers have effectively blown their chances of securing a home quarterfinal, and the best-case scenario may see them heading to Loftus Versfeld for the first round of the knockouts.

The Lions find themselves in a do-or-die situation. If they don’t win their remaining matches – a run that includes a final-round showdown with the Stormers in Cape Town – they won’t qualify for the playoffs or next year’s Champions Cup.

At this stage, the Sharks are South Africa’s best bet for silverware – albeit in a second-tier competition.

John Plumtree’s side is no longer in the running for the URC playoffs, and as a result have decided to focus on the remainder of their European Challenge Cup campaign. If they beat French club Clermont in the semifinals and then go on to win the title, they will qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.

The Bulls and Stormers were knocked out of the Champions Cup two weeks ago. While the quarterfinal results against Northampton and La Rochelle were met with widespread disappointment, they certainly simplified the URC equation for the two South African frontrunners.

Having been knocked out of Europe’s premier tournament, the Bulls and Stormers won’t have to juggle the demands of competing in two competitions over the next two months. Furthermore, they will have the opportunity to “rest” in the weeks set aside for Champions Cup, and – perhaps most importantly from a player welfare and performance point of view, they won’t compete for 10 to 14 weeks straight.

URC After a shock 27-21 home loss to the Ospreys, the Stormers are now in a struggle to make the URC playoffs. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)


Squad management key at business end of season


It’s understandable why director of rugby Jake White decided to send a second-string side to England for the Champions Cup quarterfinal and keep his star players in Pretoria ahead of the key URC clash against Munster.

Player management is so important at this stage of the club season, even though few sides – Irish giants Leinster being the prime example – have the resources to compete for silverware in two big tournaments such as the Champions Cup and URC.

While the South Africa teams have progressed since joining the northern hemisphere fraternity in 2021, they still have some way to go – and it’s for this reason that White and other coaches may opt to focus on one tournament, in this case the URC.

However, the plan backfired when the Bulls failed to bank the points against Munster, losing 27-22 when the opportunity was certainly there to do so with a full-strength side.

Stormers coach John Dobson fielded a weaker side against the Ospreys, but playing at Cape Town Stadium, the former URC champions would have been expected to take the necessary log points. They also stumbled to a 27-21 home loss.

In the wake of those landmark defeats, both teams face a mad scramble to keep their URC title hopes alive.

Celtic nations in position of strength


Leinster and Glasgow Warriors are the favourites to secure the top two positions in the standings – and to enjoy home advantage for the quarter- and semifinals.

Leinster may have to sacrifice another URC match – as they did last week in Joburg, when they rested their star players – to maximise their chances of winning a Champions Cup semifinal, and possibly the final. Once they have concluded those European commitments, Jacques Nienaber’s side will turn their attention back to the URC.

Glasgow, who are coached by yet another South African, Franco Smith, are well placed considering they will play two of their last four matches against Italian side Zebre, who are ranked last in the competition.

Glasgow still have to come to the Highveld to play the Bulls and Lions, but given their schedule – and the likelihood of banking 10 log points against Zebre – they can afford to target one win from those two matches in South Africa.

The Bulls should be going all out to claim 20 log points from their remaining matches against the Ospreys, Glasgow, Benetton and the Sharks – all of which will be staged in South Africa.

The Highveld conditions should give them an edge against the foreign teams, and they will be favourites to beat the Sharks in the final round, especially if Plumtree’s charges are heading back from England in the wake of a potential Challenge Cup final.

Other results to shape SA teams’ fate


The Bulls may need a result or two to go their way, however, if they are to finish above Munster in the rankings.

The Lions could do the Bulls – as well as themselves – a favour by beating Munster this weekend. Thereafter, Munster will return to the northern hemisphere, where they will be expected to beat Connacht, Edinburgh and Ulster.

The Stormers shouldn’t be looking beyond the next match against Leinster. Their chances of hosting a playoff this season are slim, but they can still finish in fifth place – possibly ahead of Benetton, who may come unstuck against the Sharks and Bulls on their South African tour.

URC Lions flank Emmanuel Tshituka scores during their United Rugby Championship clash against Leinster at Ellis Park on 20 April 2024. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)



If the Stormers beat Leinster, they will head to the northern hemisphere for a two-match tour against the Dragons and Connacht with the belief that they can claim nine or 10 log points. If they lose one or two of those matches, and possibly even the last fixture against the Lions, they may miss out on the playoffs altogether.

A log point or two may be the difference between qualifying for the playoffs – and next season’s Champions Cup. At this stage, only three points separate Benetton (fifth) and the Lions (11th), with the Stormers, Ospreys, Edinburgh, Connacht and Ulster jammed in between.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Contrasting nature of URC underlines its value in preparing players for Test rugby

Like the Bulls, the Lions will have the benefit of playing their remaining league games in South Africa.

If they build on their recent performance against Leinster and manage to topple Munster – the current URC champions – they will strengthen their chances of qualification. They should beat Cardiff in Johannesburg thereafter, and it remains to be seen how Glasgow – their subsequent opponents – will adapt to the altitude.

The Bulls will be cheering the Lions on over the next few weeks, as losses for Munster and Glasgow will boost their own home playoff prospects.

The Stormers, however, won’t mind if Ivan van Rooyen’s side lose a game or two and bow out of the playoff race before the final round. A Lions side with little but pride to play for may be less dangerous than a group that is hunting history, as the first Lions team to qualify for a URC knockout fixture. DM

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